Military supports dialog to ease Timor tension
Military supports dialog to ease Timor tension
DILI, East Timor (JP): The military would fully support Bishop
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo's proposal for a frank dialog to help
solve the numerous problems in the territory.
East Timor officials have, in fact, engaged in talks but they
have yet to be institutionalized, Maj. Gen. Abdul Rivai, chief of
the Udayana Military Command, who oversees security in Bali, Nusa
Tenggara and East Timor, said here Thursday.
"An open and communicative dialog between East Timorese and
the government could be effective to solve problems here," said
Rivai, who assumed his post on Monday replacing Maj. Gen. Adang
Ruchiatna.
Bishop Belo proposed an open dialog earlier on Thursday when
he met with activists of the powerful pro-government Pemuda
Pancasila youth organization.
Belo is generally seen as a unifying force in East Timor, a
predominantly Roman Catholic, ex-Portuguese colony of about
800,000 people which integrated with Indonesia in 1976.
He made the suggestion in the wake of religious and ethnic
violence in the streets of Dili. About a dozen people were
arrested, several houses destroyed, vehicles torched and a market
burned down last week.
The series of violent incidents were sparked by a local
justice ministry official who allegedly made insulting remarks
about Catholicism. But Belo stressed that the incidents were only
the tip of the iceberg.
Belo said he wanted frank and "communicative" dialogs that
involved representatives from the government and various other
groups.
According to Belo, dialogs have taken place but they have been
"instructive" rather than two-way communications, with the
government taking the initiative.
"Such an instructive approach has proven to create more
problems rather than resolve the existing ones," he said.
Rivai said that cases of rioting and social in East Timor are
usually triggered by conflicts related to the sensitive issues of
race and religion.
"Rioting and social unrest usually occur because people do not
know how to manage their differences," he said.
In a recent interview with The Jakarta Post, Bishop Belo said
that the recent flurry of religious and ethnic violence and the
local people's frustrations stem from numerous social injustices.
"Students who went on the rampage on the streets of Dili had,
in their minds, tales told by their parents, relatives, and
friends about how frustrating conditions in East Timor have
become," he said.
He said that many indigenous people are frustrated to find
more skilled migrants dominating political and economic
activities in the territory.
He added that riots are increasing in frequency because the
incoming propagators of other religions often lure the natives
with money to change their religion. "They also build places of
worship everywhere without official permits."
Belo suggested that the government evaluate its development
policies and enforces its laws indiscriminately in the former
Portuguese colony so that the natives will be more open to
migrants and more law-abiding.(yac/imn)